Our Story

Two perspectives, one love

“Before we knew we were falling in love, we were learning how to be there for each other.”

His version

Joel

I was planning a birthday. I didn’t know I was meeting my wife.

Our friend’s birthday was coming up, and I needed help putting it together. So she introduced me to Enobong. We started talking on the phone, mostly about the birthday, with a little getting to know each other in between. On September 19th, 2018, we met for the first time. I didn’t think much of it then.

But after that day, we talked. And talked. And talked.

Conversations with her were easy. We could spend hours on the phone discussing the most random things, somehow always finding one more thing to say. At the time, I was just the good guy friend who was always there. That was my role, and I was playing it very well.

As we grew closer, I became a friend of the family. Her sisters loved me, and her dad didn’t mind having me around. He still jokes that I was playing the long game with his daughter. 😄

Then university began, and we fell into a routine I came to love. Classes during the day, sometimes together and sometimes apart. Lunch together. Evenings under the trees at my faculty block. We would unpack the day: the frustrations, the funny things that happened, the little victories. Then we would make plans to see each other the next day and do it all again.

Somewhere in that routine, she became much more than a friend.

Loving her was easy. Caring for her came naturally. Looking out for her was instinct. Our lives had become so intertwined that I hadn’t stopped to ask what it meant. Then one evening, our usual goodbye hug felt different.

Her smile, her scent, the way I saw her. Everything was familiar, but somehow, everything had changed.

I walked away wanting to turn straight back around. I just wanted to be near her again.

So I gathered all the courage I had and wrote her a letter: my petition to leave the friend zone. I must have been Shakespeare that day, because she felt the same way. 😄

On May 22nd, 2019, my birthday, I asked Enobong to be my girlfriend. She said yes. It remains one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Since then, Enobong has been there through every phase of my adult life. And there have been a few, including a political phase. 😅

One night at school, a meeting ran late and left me completely drained. As I walked out, I called her and said, “I’m too tired for anything else. I need to rest.” I hadn’t eaten, the hostels were locked, and I had nowhere to sleep.

She took care of everything. Made sure I had food, somewhere to stay, and a chance to rest. I still remember the relief of knowing I could lean on her.

Then there was my first proper home after leaving the hostel. Calling it furnished would have been generous. I had walls and a TV in the parlour. Priorities.

She came over one afternoon, we ordered food, and we sat on the floor eating and watching TV. I apologised for not having a sofa or even a chair for her to sit on. She told me she was fine. It was perfect as long as we were together.

My heart nearly burst. Naturally, I maintained my composure.

Whenever I picture our future, I think about that afternoon. There was so much I hadn’t figured out yet, and so little in that room. But she was happy to be there with me.

My family loves her too. My mum cherishes her, my siblings adore her, and she has found her place with the extended family as well. But one of my favourite things is watching her with my dad. They joke together, and she laughs so hard at his jokes. I find the two of them ridiculously cute.

On May 22nd, 2026, I asked my university sweetheart to marry me.

She said yes again.

On November 26th, we begin our marriage. I’m looking forward to all of it: the big milestones, the ordinary afternoons, and coming home to her.

Definitely with a sofa this time 😉

Her version

Enobong

The funny thing is, I wasn't even looking.

It was 2018, right after secondary school. A friend of mine introduced me to Joel, gave him my number, and we started chatting on WhatsApp. I didn't think much of it at first, but Joel was disarmingly easy to talk to. He was warm, curious, and intentional in a way that caught me off guard. He wanted to know everything, and not in a surface-level way. He actually listened.

Then university started. At the University of Uyo, Joel and I ended up on the same campus, the permanent site. I was so scared of everything about university life. My sister had to follow me to school just to do registration. And when she couldn't follow me around anymore, Joel quietly took that place. He walked me to the classes we shared, sat next to me in our very first GST lecture while his friends were looking at him somehow, and when we had to split for our different departments, he didn't just leave me. He found a friendly face, introduced us, made sure I was settled, and said, "You'll be okay. I'll see you when today is over."

For months, we were just that: the best of friends. We went to night classes together, we argued, we made up, we teased each other about our future partners. I would describe something I wanted in a relationship, and Joel would laugh and say, "You'll be friends with my wife so you can tell her all of that."

Then came a night in May 2019. Joel was heading to an engineering event on campus. He stopped by to see me before he left, and something shifted. For the first time, I looked at my friend and thought... oh. Oh no.

On May 22nd, his birthday, Joel asked me to be his girlfriend, and I said yes.

Here's something we didn't know until I met his mother: Joel and I went to the same primary school. Our moms knew each other from the school run. Our lives had been circling each other long before we realized.

The years brought everything. Long distance when I left for Lagos. Late nights where he tutored me in physics even when I was being difficult. But through it all, Joel showed up. He always did.

If Joel is anything, he is intentional. When I told him I wanted to start a YouTube channel, he went and found me a camera. When I needed to move to Lagos for my career, he told me to go and that he would support me however he could. He tutored my younger sister for her JAMB exams without being asked. In my final year, when my laptop was practically falling apart, he quietly replaced it with something that actually worked. He just made things easier. That's who he is.

There is a moment I carry with me. One night, we were talking about my mom, who is late. I told Joel I wished she could have met him. And something he said took me right back to the last words she spoke to me: "Be there for your sisters. Be there for your dad. But don't worry. God will provide someone who will be there for you." Sitting with Joel that night, I knew. He was that person. He had been for a long time.

On November 26th, we make it official. But honestly? It's been official for a while.

In their words

A little Q & A

First impression?

JoelKind, empathetic, and full of love. That came through from the start.

EnobongHe knew how to hold a conversation. Articulate, kind, and open.

The moment I knew?

JoelThere wasn’t one exact moment. I just realised that whenever I pictured my future, whether next week or years from now, she was always in it.

EnobongThe night something Joel said brought back the last words my mom spoke to me. And the fact that I couldn't go a single day without wondering what he was up to.

Our song?

BothIt used to be Perfect by Ed Sheeran. Now it's Yours For All of Time by Elowine.

Who said 'I love you' first?

JoelI said it first, but she felt it first. 😄

EnobongJoel.

What do you love most about each other?

JoelWhere do I start? Enobong has a heart of gold. She loves with intention, cares deeply, and shows up when it matters most.

EnobongHis intentionality. Joel is straightforward, hardworking, and has the kind of dreams that make you pay attention. Between his vision and his work ethic, this guy is going to go very far, and I'm honored to have a front row seat.

Who's the better cook?

JoelI cook just fine. I’m not conceding the title, but I will say I’m the more adventurous one in the kitchen!

EnobongMe. Very comfortably. But Joel is the meat specialist, and in that area, I don't compete.

What does forever look like?

JoelCosy days, inside jokes that never get old, and the peace of doing life together.

EnobongSmall mornings, big adventures, and our forever friendship.

Years of friendship. A lifetime ahead. Celebrate with us on November 26th.

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